


Magic Comes In Many Forms

by BunnyJess



Category: Constantine (Comic), Constantine (TV), DCU, Hellblazer, Red Hood: Lost Days, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Confinement, Dancing, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Kissing, Klarion and Jason should be friends, M/M, Magic, Magical Artifacts, One Night Stand, Other, Smut, Tattoos, all characters are above the age of consent, although that is what he really deserves, clever use of makeup, gender-neutral Jason Todd, joker gets what he deserves, lost days training, magical confinement, think of the chaos, turns into More, weird friendships, without dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:55:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyJess/pseuds/BunnyJess
Summary: John is just trying to let off some steam in a club in Berlin. He thinks that the mysterious dancing man could offer him just that. He wasn't expecting to enjoy himself so much, or for it to turn into so much more. Berlin leads to London, which leads to the USA. He'll do anything to keep his lover safe; even if it means calling in reinforcements.
Relationships: John Constantine/Jason Todd
Comments: 11
Kudos: 129
Collections: Jason Todd Rare Pair Challenge





	Magic Comes In Many Forms

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my fave rare pairs. They just seem to fit; plus they both annoy Bruce so much it's fantastic.

It all started with a broken teenager dancing in a club in Berlin and an older man feeling a strong, unusual pull towards them. The broken teen was covered in muscle but had softened the look with cleverly applied makeup to make the skirt and short tee they were wearing look more natural. As the older man watched the swaying hips and the way the black and white hair waved around their head while they moved to the beat he couldn’t help noticing the ruptured beauty they exuded.

The teen drew him in and before the man knew it he was moving across the club to crowd the teen’s space. As he looked into the teens eyes, asking for permission to join them in their dance, he noticed the vibrant green corrupting the brilliant blue. Before he knew it strong hands were pulling his hips in and lips were moving, feather light against his own. The barest hint of a voice too deep for the outfit sent a shiver down his spine as words fell onto his lips as he moved his own hands to the teen’s hips to pull them closer.

The pair danced the night away and eventually they fell out onto the pavement, hands under shirts and lips attached to his neck. He didn’t know what he’d done recently to deserve such a good thing but he wasn’t going to turn it down. As the pair made their way to his current Berlin flat he realised something.

“I don’t know your name kid,” his Liverpudlian accent breaking the abnormally quiet night. He felt a huff of a laugh from the lips still roving around his neck.

“Don’t know yours either darlin’,” a distinctly New Jersey accent replied full of mirth.

“It’s John.” He pulled his keys out and had gotten the door open when he finally got a reply.

“Jay.”

The late night gave way to late morning in pleasure filled mayhem. Hands tracing bodies, lips bruising, teeth biting, thick thighs wrapped around a pale waist, moans filling the air, and names called out like curses or prayers. Smoke swirled around the room while they rested, bliss settling deep into their bones.

When both woke during the afternoon Jay realised how content the older man beside him made them feel, how normal he made them feel. John pulled them into his lap while they watched TV and gorged on tea. His calloused hands, from years of fighting against everything most didn’t believe was out there, ran up and down the muscular thighs that were exposed thanks to the lilac knickers Jay was wearing from the night before. Jay shivered at the tender touch as the fingers skated over the bruises the man himself had put there.

“Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I felt this good,” Jay whispered like it was a secret or something incriminating.

John’s lips danced just out of reach of their ear, breaths making the small hairs stand on end. “You and me both baby-girl, you and me both.” His husky voice making Jay whimper while their legs spread further. “

“Love it when you call me baby-girl, just” Jay’s cut of slightly by a groan as John starts massaging their thighs. “Just, mix it in with baby-boy.” They managed to get out.

The afternoon dissolved into the pair spending it much the same way they’d spent the night and morning. Pleasure sated the daemons both carried around every day. By the time evening rolled around again, and Jay had to get back to the training they were doing in Berlin, they’d exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up again soon.

It continued in London. Both had ended up in the city at the same time by pure accident or as a gift from a higher power for all the shit they both dealt with daily. John didn’t know and didn’t dare to question the wankers that were angelic folk.

Jay had spent the day learning how to make bombs and went to blow off steam at a local club. Their trainer had spent the day calling Jay ‘he’ or ‘Jason’ and it was causing a great deal of dysphoria. They smoothed the makeup over their body to soften out the harsh lines of muscle on their arms. Pulling of a tight pair of skinny jeans they paired it with a thin strapped floaty dress and pulling their shoulder length black hair into a messy bun, the white streak at the front flying free to accentuate their smoky eyes. Jay completed the look with a pair of black Doc Martin’s that had small pink flowers embroidered into the leather. They did a small twirl in front of a slightly cracked mirror and felt more like themselves than they’d done in the week they’d been in London.

The club had been crowded, just as Jay expected from G.A.Y in Soho. They’d gotten a beer and let their gaze wander around the room. Bodies were writhing against each other on the dance floor and the bar was already three people deep. Jay felt safe in their innocuous little corner of the club.

They were half way through their beer when they felt their phone vibrating. Jay knew how many people had their number and knew that if it was going off then it was important enough to not ignore. Pulling it out a smile slowly stretched across Jay’s face as they saw the caller ID flashing ‘Magic’. They swiped to answer and felt a rush of giddiness as a deep, “I can see you baby,” rumbled through the line before they could even speak. Jay’s heart gave a little jump at seeing the man who they’d spent a couple of months in Berlin with while training in the city.

“Oh can you now?” Jay said a little breathlessly. They could already feel their cock hardening at the potential change in the night direction.

“Stay where you are baby-boy.” John’s Liverpudlian accent stated before the man ended the call.

Jay finished their beer in a couple of easy gulps, eyes roaming with more intent trying to spot the blonde hair they loved to pull on. As they were starting to feel like John had been confused an arm slipped around their waist and a familiar voice rumbled into their ear, lips ghosting over the sensitive flesh, “want to make love to you, you pretty thing.” Jay spun around in John’s arms and smiled up at the slightly taller man. “Want to spoil you just like you deserve,” John said, his lips now pressing insistently against Jay’s neck.

A night in a club in London turned into him slipping away from his trainer every night for another month to see the exorcist. The pair went out on dates across the city, John trying to ensure the American saw all of London’s tourist attractions.

Occasionally Jay would help John with his work. Other times they would just spend the evening in John’s flat lazily having sex and enjoying the warmth of another body until sunrise. On one memorable occasion the pair ended up drunk and making out while straddling the lions in Trafalgar Square.

When Jay uncovered the bomb plot their trainer had planned for the city they intervened. Unfortunately it led to them needing to escape the city to avoid both police and the trainer’s gang catching up to them. As they waited at the airport, hands clasped in a white knuckle grip and leg bouncing, a happy surprise happened. They were just starting to get overly paranoid and anxious, feeling their control slipping when John sat down beside them and slipped his arm around Jay’s broad shoulders. Jay relaxed into the cheap cologne and cigarette smoke that lingered on John at all times. They could feel their body starting to relax and sighed softly when John pressed a kiss to their forehead.

“Couldn’t just let you slip out the country alone, not after the shit you saved my city from.” John said into the soft black hair.

Jay sighed again and pressed themselves closer to John, needing his warmth and security to ground them. “You didn’t have to,” Jay mumbled into his neck.

John huffed a laugh and used his free hand to tip Jay’s face up, eyes connecting. “Baby-boy I don’t think you realise how addictive you are. I’m not just going to leave you, especially when you’re this upset.” John pressed a chaste kiss to their lips, enjoying the now familiar taste of bubble-gum lip balm. “You’re _my_ baby-girl after all.” He didn’t miss the full body shiver than his words caused in Jay. John ran his hand down Jay’s back and slipped his fingertips under the waistband of their jeans to start rubbing small circles. Lace catching on his callouses.

The nights in Europe turned into the pair travelling around the US with Jay helping John with random magical events. They stopped by a tattoo artist in LA. John had known them for a few years and he had given John his protection tattoos. It was something he was anxious for Jay to get considering the amount of people that died being around John. He wanted them to be as safe as they could be as he didn’t want them to suffer any more.

The marks across Jay’s skin looked beautiful when combined with their darker skin tone. John had gotten his friend to design a phoenix rising from the shadow of a robin; woven into the design was every form of protection John could think of. He was amazed with how well Jay handled the pain of such a large piece of ink, especially considering it was their first piece. As he watched his lover enter an almost dreamlike state due to the buzz of the needle he felt a sudden overwhelming guilt at his previous thoughts. Jay had explained their past, their death and resurrection. John had spent countless hours helping them quell the burning rage the Lazarus Pit tried to unleash, or holding Jay while they sobbed after a horrific nightmare. When the buzzing gave way to a lasting silence John heaved Jay upright and pulled them into a fierce kiss, trying to show just how proud he was of them.

The pair stumbled back to their hotel and John couldn’t stop the praise from falling from his lips at the strength his Jay had shown in the tattoo chair. Hands roamed bodies and it wasn’t long before John dropped to his knees for Jay. Nothing made John more aroused than making Jay come undone and get out of their head. The nineteen year old had been through so much that is was easy for them to get lost in thought and then spiral down. Since finding John it had been happening less and less as the older man pulled them further away from the green that poisoned their mind.

Soon enough Jay was a whimpering mess, thrusting up into John’s waiting mouth and he couldn’t resist dragging his nearly blunt nails down Jay’s thighs. The moan he was rewarded with made him do it again. It wasn’t long until he felt the twitches that he knew meant Jay was close. John pulled off and scooted around the bed and sat propped up against the pillows. He knew the fresh tattoo on Jay’s back would mean their back couldn’t be pressed into the bed; instead it just meant he could open Jay up and watch them ride him until they both came.

Eventually Jay felt the pull of Gotham and knew they had to go home. Talia had given them training and help where she could but they knew she’d want what she’d paid for. In the months they’d spent travelling around the US with John however, had lessened the anger they felt towards the new Robin and helped them to clearly set their goals for Gotham. They were going to help The Narrows and The Bowery without focusing so much on destroying Bruce in the process. It all felt unnecessary.

They didn’t need Bruce to prove his love for them, didn’t need to terrorize Gotham to get attention from a man who’d never really understood them or had time for them. Bruce had never let them be as free as Talia had, he’d never let them be who they really were. The strength of Bruce’s public image was more important than if Jay was more comfortable in six inch heels or a dress than a tailored suit. They just wanted to let go of all the impossible expectations Bruce had forced onto them; they were never going to be Dick Grayson, Batgirl had told them as much. Instead they just wanted to continue the happiness they’d found in their own little world.

The pair made a pit stop in New York first as John had a cache of artefacts hidden under a pet shop basement. He didn’t want to enter Gotham without as much as he could pack into the car. He wasn’t taking any chances with the devil’s anus that was Gotham City. Jay was amazed at the vast amount of history contained in such a small room. They’d thought the Manor was jam packed with antiques but this was a whole new level. There were items ranging from the start of civilisation all the way up to the present day.

John grabbed his bag and started shoving seemingly random items into it, a small chuckle escaping every now and then. “What keeps tickling you John?” Jay asked while they sank down into the armchair off to one side.

“Just trying to wrap my head around willingly going into the Devil’s Anus,” John looked up at Jay, “then I remember I’m doing it for my pretty bird and get stuck wrapping my head around you being with me. People die around me, all the time and yet you’re staying with me.”

Jay stood up and walked over to John in three short strides, their knee high boots clicking on the concrete floor. They slipped their arms around John’s neck and kissed him quick. “Then it’s a bloody good job I’ve already died once.”

It had been four years since Jay had last seen the armpit that was Gotham and, as the car passed the ‘Welcome to Gotham’ sign a shudder ran down their back. It had been so long but the city still had a hold over them. John had tried to explain it on the drive. Gotham was a powerful mistress that had a hold over those born within her; you might manage to get out for a few years, even a few decades, but you always end up back in her concrete jungle.

No matter how welcoming the city was to Jay, John noticed there was a new current of fear thrumming through them. Jay had explained who’d killed them after they’d sought out their birth mother as Bruce had made it clear they weren’t to be themselves. He’d never considered if Joker was alive or not. He knew if anyone killed his kid he’d have taken them out, sent them to hell where they belonged.

As the pair settled into a townhouse Talia had purchased for Jay, John set about putting protection charms over the place. They were the sort that only the most skilled of magicians or masters of the dark arts would be able to detect and gave John a level of comfort at ensuring Jay’s safety. He’d noticed how they were more worked up and seemed to be glued to the news. To relax Jay and help them sleep John laid them out on the bed and treated them like the gorgeous treasure John knew them to be.

Once Jay was fast asleep, the spells John had done around the bedroom easing Jay’s nightmares, he logged into his lovers phone to see what had been competing with the TV all day. It didn’t take long to find. Jay had four different websites and twitter pages open regarding Arkham Inmates, all confirming that Joker was still locked up. John felt his blood beginning to boil. He knew the Bat didn’t kill but he knew most people had their exceptions, the main one being any son of a bitch who killed their kid.

Now he knew what had Jay on edge all day John slipped out into the typically cold Gotham night. As he lit a cigarette on the drive over to Arkham he thought of everything he could do to Joker. He could banish the bastard to a different dimension, send him to hell, just plain kill him. Everything he thought of had one big disadvantage that kept flashing at John like a gaudy neon sign; getting rid of the Joker would bring the Bat down on him and ban him from Gotham. He couldn’t leave Jay, wouldn’t leave them to accomplish their goals alone. They’d spent too much of their life alone, John wasn’t about to let their future be lonely too. He’d fallen for the gender neutral twenty year old. He couldn’t imagine a future without their brash mouth, fiery temper, hypnotising hips. He didn’t want to wake up beside anyone else who could wear their cargo pants or a dress and still be seen as the leader in every situation. He refused to leave the person who’d made him smile when so much of his life was going to shit, who’d then kept that smile and loved him right back.

It didn’t take much for John to break into the asylum. The old buildings had terrible security, especially for someone as _adept_ as he was. Bruce Wayne may pour money into the hospital but it was clear to John that the only way to solve the security issues and heal the people there would be to knock it all down and start again. His enchanted playing card got him through security and all the way down to Intensive Treatment. Before the doors had even opened he could hear the toxic laugh of the murderous, psychopathic clown. He repressed a shudder as he mentally berated himself. He’d faced down some of the scariest shit in the multiverse, defeated people and beings intent on destroying the world…he could face one man.

It was eerie walking between the cells holding some of Gotham’s worst knowing that the worst of all was housed right at the end. He could hear Two-Face arguing with himself, Harley alternating between shouting at Joker to shut up or professing her love for Ivy, Nigma was spouting riddles that were being answered lightening quick by Crane. He found the last two quite endearing; they were clearly both in a more lucid moment and had found solace in each other. None of it was loud enough to drown out the manic cackle that seemed to be broken with insults towards Harley and detailed descriptions of what it wanted to do to the Bats sidekicks. John hated him, always had but it was stronger now he knew Jay. This clown wasn’t crazy; it was just intelligent enough to get Gotham’s judicial system to believe it was.

Thankful that he wouldn’t have to open the cell door, John got to work. He put up as many entrapment spells as he could, along with secreting a few items around the door that’d add extra strength to keeping the vile man inside. John still felt a little unsure about everything keeping Joker in Arkham and called in a couple of favours from people more powerful than him. When the three magi appeared, and after explaining the situation, they got to work and John felt safe knowing that there was no chance of Joker getting out. Klarion and Teekl has even answered his summons. Although, upon reflection John realised he shouldn’t have been surprised as Jay had somehow created a relationship with the Lord of Chaos and his familiar.

The following morning as the warm sun streamed through the bedroom windows Jay curled up in their partner’s arms. Their head was resting on John’s chest and fingers were carding through their dark hair. A contented sigh left their lips and they felt John hold them tighter to his strong chest.

“Mornin’ baby-girl. Did you sleep well?” John’s voice was rough with sleep and Jay pressed a kiss to his chest.

“Really well, you slipped out during the night though and I missed you.” They propped themselves up to get a better view of John’s face. Bottom lip jutted out in a pout as they watched for his reaction.

He looked away and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. He heaved a sigh then decided to tell Jay what he’d done last night. He’d expected his lover to be upset, to shout at him for not ending the Joker’s miserable life. Instead Jay surged forward and kissed him passionately. When they pulled apart for air Jay gave John a smile so full of love, even with tears streaming down their face and their breathing turning into hiccuped sobs, that he felt his heart skip a beat.

“Baby-boy it was the least I could do. You’re the one who’s going to make this place safer for everyone.” John pulled them into another kiss and ran his fingers down their back. Jay shivered in their arms as they continued to enjoy the lazy morning sunshine.

It might have started as a one off in a nightclub in Berlin, but Gotham was where forever really began. Klarion would make sure of it.


End file.
